One-eyed ophthalmologist?

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FFT

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I have a question that I am sure has never been posed here before:

I am starting my first year of medical school and I have always been really interested in ophthalmology. I realize it is a difficult residency to obtain and all that, but I want to inquire about something that I have always feared may keep me out of the running--I only have vision in one eye.

I have a congenital retinal dysplasia, or so I'm told. Having been this way since birth, I have completely normal depth perception out of my left eye--I can catch a baseball, drive, do anything most people can do. I even look completely normal!

So can I become an ophthalmologist?

Would I have problems using any of the instrumentation that you guys use on a daily basis? Could I be competent with a surgical microscope with perfect depth preception from only one eye? Would a residency program automatically exclude me for this sort of thing?

I would love any input about this from those in the know. I feel that I need to know now whether or not this is an unfortunate, insurmountable barrier for me (although it never has been before), so that I can focus my interests elsewhere at this early stage.
 
Actually, I just saw a similar post on this a month or two back....you might check the old threads...but as for your question, catching baseballs is one thing, however depth perception under a microscope, when you are talking about millimeters of difference, is a whole different issue with one eye...You might try going to your ophtho department and if they have a wet lab, try doing some practice surgeries under the scope to see what it is really like, or just use your path scopes......That being said, I would never say it's impossible....and there is always the non-surgical specialty of Neuro. Good luck
 
FFT said:
I have a question that I am sure has never been posed here before:

I am starting my first year of medical school and I have always been really interested in ophthalmology. I realize it is a difficult residency to obtain and all that, but I want to inquire about something that I have always feared may keep me out of the running--I only have vision in one eye.

I have a congenital retinal dysplasia, or so I'm told. Having been this way since birth, I have completely normal depth perception out of my left eye--I can catch a baseball, drive, do anything most people can do. I even look completely normal!

So can I become an ophthalmologist?

Would I have problems using any of the instrumentation that you guys use on a daily basis? Could I be competent with a surgical microscope with perfect depth preception from only one eye? Would a residency program automatically exclude me for this sort of thing?

I would love any input about this from those in the know. I feel that I need to know now whether or not this is an unfortunate, insurmountable barrier for me (although it never has been before), so that I can focus my interests elsewhere at this early stage.
Click to expand...

Refer to thread: Question for upper level resident. Everything applies.
 
Just remember: In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king!


Sorry, I couldn't resist. 😀
 
It's doable, but very difficult. I have known residents with no depth perception, could only see the big fly. they had a very bad time with surgery and I dont think they felt comfortable doing a case alone after graduation. that being said with oct, you could do medical retina, or neuro op.
 
Also, saw an article about a monocular ophthalmologist who did cataracts proficiently. at times I have felt I was only looking out of one eye myself and it's harder. not impossible but a lot harder.
 
ckyuen said:
Also, saw an article about a monocular ophthalmologist who did cataracts proficiently. at times I have felt I was only looking out of one eye myself and it's harder. not impossible but a lot harder.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input everybody, but I feel that I should clarify something--I believe myself to have perfect depth perception. Really. I have had only one functioning eye since birth, so I believe my brain has compensated. Seeing out of my bad eye is like seeing out of my elbow--it's like it's not even there. I can thread a needle at my waist, pour water in a glass, and all that good stuff.

My vision out of one eye is not the same as a normal person shutting one eye. Although I recognize this is rarely the case when someone loses an eye at some point in their life.

That being said--I realize that there are monocular cues as well binocular cues that allow us to see in 3-D. My question is--does my lack of two different visual perspectives put me at a distinct disadvantage as a surgeon if my monocular capabilities are particularly keen?

I also realize that I may be asking something that would be impossible for a person with 'normal' vision to assess.
 
FFT said:
Thanks for the input everybody, but I feel that I should clarify something--I believe myself to have perfect depth perception. Really. I have had only one functioning eye since birth, so I believe my brain has compensated. Seeing out of my bad eye is like seeing out of my elbow--it's like it's not even there. I can thread a needle at my waist, pour water in a glass, and all that good stuff.

My vision out of one eye is not the same as a normal person shutting one eye. Although I recognize this is rarely the case when someone loses an eye at some point in their life.

That being said--I realize that there are monocular cues as well binocular cues that allow us to see in 3-D. My question is--does my lack of two different visual perspectives put me at a distinct disadvantage as a surgeon if my monocular capabilities are particularly keen?

I also realize that I may be asking something that would be impossible for a person with 'normal' vision to assess.
Click to expand...

Can you do Magic Eye puzzle though?
 
You are right that it is not possible for those with normal stereopsis to answer your question fully. And you make the appropriate distinction between depth-perception and stereopsis.

Laparoscopic surgeons do not have the advantage of stereopsis--they essentially relay on monocular vision through the laparoscope, and many are able to sew and perform delicate surgeries. However, compare this to the Da Vinci surgical robot, which uses binocular videoscopy and a stereoscopic viewing platform. This has been tagged as one of the system's key advantages. Having participated in laparoscopic cases as a med student and during my surgery internship, and having played around on the Da Vinci robot during a demonstration, I can say there is a difference for sure in one's ease of use.

Then take micro-surgery. I was fortunate to learn microsurgical technique as a med student when I did a hand surgery rotation. Now I am doing a year of microsurgery research prior to starting ophthalmology residency next year. Sewing rat vessels with 10-0 is different than "pouring a glass of water." The difference between a good anastomosis and a mis-throw that catches the vessel back wall is on the order of tens of microns: visual cues such as size-difference become less reliable with such small distances, and one definitely notices a difference if the PD is not set right or an eye is closed.

My advice: try to get some micro experience, either through your plastic surgery or hand surgery department, or at an ophthalmology wet lab. I think most people can tell quickly whether they have an aptitude for developing micro skills or not, and you will have your answer.
 
I have a friend who is monocular with a prosthesis from trauma. He is a high volume cataract surgeon (also did a retinal fellowship) and has been practicing at a very high level for 20 years.

Good Luck
 
If you have one eye you don't have depth perception
 
ckyuen said:
If you have one eye you don't have depth perception
Click to expand...

ckyuen, I think you are incorrect here. A person with only one eye has no binocular depth perception, may may still have monocular depth perception (which arguably is inferior to binocular depth perception). If I close one eye I can still tell that something is in front of or behind something else by relying on other visual cues. It is better with both eyes of course, but there are certainly people with only one eye who drive; they must have *some* degree of depth perception.
 
that's what i meant, edited post but didn't come out, I meant you don't have stereopsis, we all rely on monocular cues. in fact at 20 ft stereopsis doesnt come into play its all monocular cues. You can help yourself in phaco by tilting the lens, and looking for the red reflex to judge depth
 
I would personally go into another specialty if I had one eye. Why limit yourself? Life is already full of obstacles and difficulties....why make it tougher on myself than it has to be? There are many many many other cool surgical and non-surgical specialties in medicine to fall in love with....I'd rather save my time/energy on finding myself a boyfriend, running, getting scuba certified or traveling for example.... 😀
 
FFT said:
Thanks for the input everybody, but I feel that I should clarify something--I believe myself to have perfect depth perception. Really. I have had only one functioning eye since birth, so I believe my brain has compensated. Seeing out of my bad eye is like seeing out of my elbow--it's like it's not even there. I can thread a needle at my waist, pour water in a glass, and all that good stuff.

My vision out of one eye is not the same as a normal person shutting one eye. Although I recognize this is rarely the case when someone loses an eye at some point in their life.

That being said--I realize that there are monocular cues as well binocular cues that allow us to see in 3-D. My question is--does my lack of two different visual perspectives put me at a distinct disadvantage as a surgeon if my monocular capabilities are particularly keen?

I also realize that I may be asking something that would be impossible for a person with 'normal' vision to assess.
Click to expand...
Someone told me if I can't get 10/10 on those randot circles, not to apply to ophtho...I get 5/10 with contacts, but 10/10 with glasses....
 
not true, it takes a lot of concentration to get all nine dots, have to have good lighting hold the page just right. I think when they tested me as a med student I got about 7/9. as a resident in my third year I would get 9/9 after a lot of surgical training. I think every bit helps, but I turned out to be an excellent surgeon. My phacos are much faster than the average surgeon, dont want to post times here, b/c never look at the clock when doing surgery it will mess you up. But based on my start and finish times that the nurses and anesthesia record, and I tell them to start timing once I put drapes on the patient. A majority of my patients are 20/30 or better post op day one uncorrected. Quite a few of my mature cataracts are 20/50 or better post op day one. For those of you going into practice, dont brag about how fast you can do a cataract to patients or other providers, it devalues the procedure and only will contribute to its declining reimbursement.
 
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